Breastfeeding and teeth

Do I need to stop breastfeeding now that my baby has teeth? Absolutely not!

The World Health Organisation recommends that babies are fed until 2 years and beyond and the age of natural weaning from the breast is anything between 2.5 years and 7 years – which is way beyond the eruption of teeth. 

The effect of teeth on the breastfeeding relationship will be different for every mother and baby. It is very possible there will be no impact at all! I speak from experience when I say this. I had no awareness of my first baby getting her erupting and it did not affect our breastfeeding at all, however with my second I was very aware, it affected his latch at times and he was prone to biting when teething.

How may teeth impact breastfeeding?

As a general rule the presence of teeth should not make a difference to breastfeeding, however some mothers may experience biting, indentations and scraping as a result of teeth.

Generally, baby’s get their first teeth on their bottom gums. This should have little impact on breastfeeding unless your baby is latched incorrectly. When your baby is well latched, the tongue should cover the lower gum and teeth to protect your breasts! If you feel those bottom teeth, check your baby’s latch. When your baby’s upper teeth come out, sometimes you can get scrapings or teeth indentations marks on your breast. You can solve this by making sure your baby’s weight is well supported, so isn’t putting pressure on the breast and deepening the latch. Explore and experiment with different breastfeeding positions and see what works for you.

Aim for a deep latch and use the exaggerated latch and sandwich hold techniques to help you if needed. 

Teething

Teething can be painful for your little one and can result in sore and swollen gums. This could alter your baby’s latch and increase the frequency of biting for relief!

If your baby is suffering and you are being bitten you can consider offering pain relief prior to feeding. Be aware that any numbing agents may also impact on the baby’s latch and exacerbate any discomfort you are feeling.

Teething can also affect breastfeeding in other ways, you may find your infant needs to come to the breast more often for comfort and to soothe their pain. For other babies the pain may mean they don’t want to breastfeed as much and in some extreme cases at all. This is known as a nursing strike. If your baby is feeding less often try not to worry, consider pain relief and offer the breast when baby sleepy as they maybe more likely to feed then. If your breasts are feeling full, hand express or pump to relieve them and to avoid getting blocked ducts.

What to do? 

1. Check your baby’s latch. Go back to basics. Make sure that your baby has a wide-open mouth and tilts their head back when latching. You can ask them to look up at you or talk to them while latching to try encouraging this. You can find more about getting a deep latch here.

2. Try different positions.

The laid back position is my recommendation.

3. If your baby is dribbling a lot, dry his mouth/chin before feeding so that your skin won’t get irritated. 

Biting

There are many reasons why your baby may be biting you including teething; to get attention or due to boredom; distractions; a cold/blocked nose; slow milk flow or your baby could be experimenting with cause and effect. Whatever the reason, it can hurt! 

What to do?

1. If your baby typically bites towards the beginning of the feed, check your baby’s latch and think about positioning.

2. If your baby typically bites towards the end of the feed and is falling asleep, you can look out for any changes in the latch and movement of the mouth or the jaw. If you notice warning signs that your baby might bite you, remove your baby from the breast. It is okay to have a low threshold for taking them off the breast!  

3. Sometimes baby’s bite towards the end of the feed as the milk flow has slowed down. In this situation, try offering your baby the other breast once they stop actively feeding.

4. Some baby’s bite when they are distracted. If this is the case, try to find a quieter and less distracting environment for your baby to feed. 

5. If your baby starts to clamp down or bite then immediately push your baby’s face into the breast. This should block their nose and making them open their mouth to breath and release their hold on your breast. 

6. Set boundaries. This means, removing your baby from the breast when they bite you and discontinue feeding for a short period of time. You can even go as far as taking them off you and setting them on the floor to help them understand. If your baby is old enough, you can explain to them that biting hurts you.

7. Try not to scream. This is a natural reaction to sudden pain but avoid doing this if you can. Some babies’ may be scared when you scream and there have been instances when they have then been reluctant or even refused to feed.

8. You can use expressed Jelonet gauze  to help heal nipple damage following a biting episode. 

For more breastfeeding advice and support follow feedeatspeak on instagram, checkout my online courses or contact me for a 1:1 consultation.